UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF GIVING TO THE KING The Bible is about The King, His Kingdom, and His Royal Family! As we have seen throughout the entire Bible, God is the King of a supernatural realm called Heaven that is invisible but very real. In fact, Heaven is more real than the natural realm in which we humans live, breathe, and have our being because it existed before the natural realm and is the source from which all nature originated. God created the earth, bringing form out of formlessness and order out of chaos, not to leave it empty but for it to be inhabited (see Isa. 45:18). His original purpose and plan was to extend His heavenly Kingdom to the earth—to bring His invisible supernatural rule into the visible natural domain. It was for this reason that He created mankind—male and female—in His own image and clothed them in physical bodies of flesh and blood and bone made from the same stuff as the earth itself, that they might exercise dominion over the earth just as He did in Heaven. They were to be His vice-regents, ruling in His name and under His authority. King and kingdom are concepts that are of heavenly, not earthly origin. God chose these concepts to describe His plan and program for mankind and the earth. Thus, in order to understand God, we must understand the concept of kingship and kingdom. That has been the purpose and intent of The King of kings and The Lord of lords. Adam was created as king and ruler of the earth. This is only natural. God created man in His own image and likeness, and because God was a King, man was to be a king as well. As king of the earth, man possessed certain unique qualities and characteristics that set him apart as distinct from all other creatures on the earth. One of these qualities was self-determination. Man possessed the ability to reason—to frame his own thoughts and ideas and to make his own decisions. In this he was like his Creator. He was endowed also with the capacity for face-to-face, one-on-one intimate fellow- ship with God, a privilege that no other creature on earth enjoyed. The Creator gave Adam the earth as his domain because a king is not a king unless he has territory over which to rule. Through inappropriate use of his power of self-determination, Adam rebelled against God and lost his earthly kingdom. Man’s rule over the earth was usurped by an “unemployed cherub,” a rebellious and fallen angel who had no right or authority to take it. Man became a slave in his own domain. But the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (see Rom. 11:29). God’s original plan and purpose were still in place. Man’s destiny was to rule the earth, so he had to get his Kingdom back. When the time was right in history, the King of Heaven sent His Son to earth to reestablish Heaven’s rule here. He sent His Son to restore man to his earthly Kingdom. Jesus Christ entered the public eye proclaim- ing a simple but profound message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heav- en is near” (Matt. 4:17b). As a human as well as the Son of God, Jesus had the authority both to restore the Kingdom and to rule it as King. Kingship was His birthright. Kingship is always a matter of birthright or genealogy. You will remember that when Jesus stood before Pilate the morning He was crucified, and Pilate asked Him if He was the king of the Jews, Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born...” (John 18:37b). Jesus was not the only one to recognize His kingship. Even as early as His birth, there were those who knew who He was and why He had come: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:1-2). The coming of Jesus Christ as King demonstrates another important characteristic of God: He is a giver. First, He gave man the earth to rule. Then, after man lost his Kingdom, God gave His Son so that He could get man’s Kingdom back. Jesus gave Himself, even to the point of death, to salvage man from the effects and conse- quences of his rebellion against God. In the coming of Jesus, and throughout the Bible we see over and over that giving is a funda- mental principle of the Kingdom of Heaven. God is a giver. In fact, His honor as King of Heaven demands a gift. As God, He gives because it is His nature. As Kingdom citizens, we give because we are like Him, created in His image and likeness, and because giving is a proper way to honor a king. THE SIX ROYAL KINGDOM PRINCIPLES OF GIVING 1. The power of kings is displayed in their wealth. The wealthier the king, the greater his power (or at least the perception of his power in the eyes of others). This is why kings are always seeking to increase their wealth and expand their territory. The most obvious way that wealth displays a king’s power is in his ability to give generous- ly, lavishly, and even recklessly of his wealth to his citi- zens as well as to outsiders who visit his kingdom. Kings who rule over lands that are sparse in resources and whose citizens are poor are judged to be poor kings, lacking in power and influence and therefore dismissed as unimportant. They may even be perceived as unable or unwilling to take proper care of their citi- zens and subjects. Poor kings, therefore, develop a poor reputation, which brings us to the second principle. 2. The purpose for a king’s wealth is to secure his reputa- tion—his glory. Every conscientious king wants to be known as good, benevolent, magnanimous, and just. He is constantly concerned for the complete welfare of his people. He wants to be able to show the world that he can provide his citizens with anything and everything they need. Want in a kingdom is a shame to the king. So a king’s reputation is tied to his ability to take care of his cit- izens, and that ability is directly related to his wealth. A king whose people are secure in his benevolent provision will be loved by his people, respected by other kings and rulers, and will enjoy a stable and secure reign. His reputation is firmly established, and his glory shines to all around. 3. The glory of a king is his power to out-give another king. This is another reason why wealth is important to a king. Kings are deeply and continually concerned with their reputations, and no king likes the thought that another king might be richer, more benevolent, or more giving than he. Consequently, kings will give freely in response to a gift given to them, or from pure beneficence, often wildly out of proportion to the value of the gift received or the merit of the recipient. This is definitely a characteristic of the King of Heaven. As owner of literally everything, God is the richest King that was, is, or ever will be. No one can out-give God. And He gives lavishly with- out regard to our merit or our ability to repay. Don’t forget that Jesus assured us that it was His Father’s pleasure to give us the Kingdom. And He did not demand that we make ourselves “worthy” first. 4. Giving places a demand on the king’s wealth. Wealth that is not used for anything serves no purpose. Righteous and benevolent kings do not seek riches simply for their own enrichment and pleasure. They don’t acquire wealth just so they can sit atop the pile and say, “Look at me! See how rich I am!” Good kings use their wealth to bring prosperity to their people and improve the quality of their lives. This way the king’s riches do not stagnate or rot away. In keeping with a fundamental principle of wealth-building, good kings know how to make their wealth work for them—they give it away in order to receive more. It is a principle of reciprocity—giving begets giving. The principle of reciprocity works both ways. Giving to a king places a demand on his wealth because a king cannot allow himself to be out-given. Whatever he receives as a gift he must return in multiplied form. This brings us to the fifth principle of giving. 5. Giving requires a response from the king. When you give to a king, he is obligated not only to respond to your gift but also to exceed it. When the queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel, her gifts to him of spices, large quantities of gold and precious stones, was fitting proto- col. However, she was not prepared for the magnitude of wealth she found in Solomon’s court: When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard....And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon....King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty (1 Kings 10:4-7,10,13a, emphasis added). As lavish as the queen’s gifts to Solomon were, his gifts to her in return far exceeded hers to him. The King of Heaven is the same way. When we give to Him, He responds in kind but in much greater measure. Jesus said: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38). We can never out-give God. Give, and He will give abundantly and overflowing in return. It’s a principle of His Kingdom. Besides, His reputation and glory are at stake. 6. Giving to a king attracts His wealth to the giver. Giving begets giving. This principle works both ways. Kings give away wealth in order to gain more wealth. But when we give to the King, it begets giving back to us because our generosity attracts the King’s wealth to us. This is directly related to the concept of stewardship versus ownership. As long as we feel we own what we have, we tend to cling to it and hold it close to our chest. In that posture, it is impossible to receive more. We can’t receive anything with closed fists and clenched fingers. On the other hand, when we approach the King open-handed with our things, not only can we lay them at His feet as a gift, but we are also in a posture to receive. Giving to the King attracts His wealth because He is a giver and is attracted to those who share a like spirit. SEVEN REASONS TO GIVE TO A KING 1. Royal protocol requires that a gift must be presented when visiting a king. This is why the queen of Sheba brought such lavish gifts to King Solomon even though he was richer than she was. It was royal protocol. He would have done the same had he visited her. This protocol of presenting a gift to the king reflects a principle of heaven. When God gave Moses the Law for the nation of Israel, He made it clear that whenever the people came before the Lord, they were to bring an offering or a sacrifice of some kind, depending on the occasion. They were never to approach Him with nothing. God commanded Moses: And none shall appear before Me empty-handed (Exodus 34:21b NKJV). The principle still applies. We should always approach the King with a gift of some kind to offer: a tithe or 10 percent of our income, praise, thanksgiving, worship; just not empty-handed. The best gift we can give Him is our heart and life, freely and completely. 2. The gift must be fitting for the king. Worse than approaching a king with no gift is to bring a gift unwor- thy of him. An inappropriate or inadequate gift amounts to an insult to the king. It shows that the giver does not properly respect the king or his authority. This is why the sacrificial laws of the Jews (which prefigure the sacrifice of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world [see John 1:29]). stipulated that only spotless, unblemished, unflawed animals could be offered in sacrifice. The people were giving a gift to the King, and their gift had to be worthy of Him. When King David of Israel set out to build an altar to the Lord, he sought to buy a threshing floor owned by a man named Araunah as the site. Araunah graciously offered to give the threshing floor to David for his purposes: But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of sil- ver for them” (2 Samuel 24:24). David was trying to stop a plague in the land caused by his own disobedience to God. After he built the altar and made sacrifices, God responded to his prayers and stopped the plague. Give a gift to the King that is worthy of Him. Don’t offer some- thing that costs you nothing. 3. The gift reveals our value or “worth-ship” of the king. The quality of what we offer the King and the attitude with which we offer it reveal much more than our words do of the value or worthiness we attach to Him. Quality does- n’t mean expensive or fancy necessarily, but it does mean offering our very best. And our gift does not necessarily have to be of monetary value. Of much greater value to the King is the gift of a heart that seeks first His Kingdom and His righteousness. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah records the Lord’s complaint against His people whodevalue His “worth-ship”: The Lord says: “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men (Isaiah 29:13). Our gifts to the King should always be offered from a sincere heart and a humble recognition of His greatness and awesome majesty. 4. Worship demands a gift and giving is worship. “Worth- ship” is where we get “worship.” To worship the King means to ascribe worth or worthiness to Him. And, as we have already seen, that always involves bringing Him a gift. There is no genuine worship without gift-giving. But giving is itself an act of worship, and worship is always fitting for the King. The Magi who saw His star in the east understood this, which is why they brought gifts when they came to find Him: On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrhh (Matthew 2:11). Worship demands a gift, but it may be a gift of praise, a gift of thanksgiving, a gift of confession, a gift of surrender, a gift of forgive- ness, or a gift of a tender and obedient heart as well as a monetary gift. 5. Giving to a king attracts his favor. Kings are attracted to people who give with a willing and grateful spirit. Like anyone else, a king likes to know he is loved and appreci- ated. The King of Heaven is the same way. The Giver is attracted to the giver and extends His favor. Gifts open doors to blessings, opportunities, and prosperity: A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great (Proverbs 18:16). Those who know the protocol of giving gain access to the throne room, while those who do not, remain standing outside the gate. Giving from a generous heart with no thought or expectation of return particularly attracts the King’s favor because that is the atti- tude closest to His own. And He rewards that kind of spirit: Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward (Matthew 10:41-42). To “receive” a prophet or a righteous man means to care for and supply that person with no expectation of repayment. Giving with no ulterior motive and with no strings attached—that is the kind of giving that attracts the favor of the King. 6. Giving to a king acknowledges his ownership of every- thing. Remember, kings are also lords; they own every- thing in their domain. So giving to a king is simply returning to him what is already his. That’s why in the Kingdom of Heaven we are always stewards and never owners. This truth is embodied in the Bible in the principles of the first- fruits and the tithe. Every harvest the Jews were required to bring the “firstfruits” of the harvest and offer them to the Lord. The same was to be done with all the firstborn of the animals: sheep, goats, cattle. In addition, a tithe—10 percent—of one’s increase, one’s income and produce, was to be given to the Lord. All of this was for the purpose of recognizing God’s ownership—His Lordship—of everything and His benevolence and love in allowing them to use and prosper from His resources. These same principles apply today, at least in the spirit of acknowledging God’s ownership. Kingdom citizens should still give the tithe regularly as an act of faith and of worship in recognizing not only God’s ownership but also His daily provision of our needs as well as abundant blessings. 7. Giving to a king is thanksgiving. One of the best ways to express gratitude is with a gift. Gratitude expressed is in itself a gift. Look at the word “thanksgiving.” Turn it around and you have, “giving thanks” or “giving grati- tude.” Everyone likes to know they are appreciated. Sometimes the best gift we can give a person is simply to express heartfelt thanks for a gift given or a kindness received. God is the same way. Expressing our thanks to God from a sincere heart for His blessings, kindness, and favor toward us is to offer Him a gift that He receives with delight. FIVE REASONS TO GIVE Giving is natural for kings. As Kingdom citizens and children of the King, we too are kings. That being the case, several principles follow: 1. If we all are kings, then we should give to each other. Remember, you never approach a king without a gift. 2. When we give to the Body, we give to Christ the King. Because Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, every time we give to each other, we are giving to Him. 1 - Every time we meet one another, giving should be auto- matic. If we are to be like our King, who created us in His image and likeness, a giving spirit should be second nature for us. 2 - The wise men knew there was a greater King on earth. That is why they brought Him gifts and worshiped Him. He is still on earth—in the hearts and lives of His citi- zens. So whenever we give, we do so as if giving to Him. 3 - When you give to a king, you make a demand on what he possesses. Giving begets giving. When we give to the King of Heaven, we obligate Him to give in return. This is not a presumptuous statement but the expression of a principle He established. When we give, He gives; when we withhold, He withholds. THE ULTIMATE GIFT The ultimate and greatest gift the King wants from us is summed up in these words: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Giving activates royal obligation. Give Him your life and receive His life. ...remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 00:40:31 +0000